What are the conditions for applying for a car lottery?

[DelaneyDella]

The conditions for applying for a car lottery are that the applicant must not have a passenger car registered in this city under their name, must not have a motor vehicle that should be scrapped but has not been deregistered, and must hold a valid motor vehicle driver's license issued by the traffic management department of the public security bureau. Methods for the car lottery: First, register and queue up for an appointment by submitting an application. Obtain an application code, and after passing the review, confirm the application code as a valid code to participate in the lottery and obtain an indicator code through the lottery process. The computer randomly selects 10 numbers, from which the lottery participant chooses one. Unsuccessful codes that pass the review automatically participate in the lottery within the validity period. If the lottery time changes for any reason, the Municipal Passenger Car Indicator Control and Management Office will announce it in advance. Notes for the car lottery: When participating in the lottery, note that a driver's license is required, and you must be a local resident or hold a residence permit. Each city has requirements regarding the duration of the residence permit. The indicator must be extended every three months; otherwise, the valid code will expire, and you cannot participate in the lottery.

[Kayla]

I only understood after going through the lottery process that there are several strict requirements to apply. First, you must have a local household registration or residence permit. For non-locals, you need a temporary residence permit for a certain number of years—for example, Beijing requires five consecutive years of social security and individual tax payments. Second, you must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license with no outstanding traffic violations. You also cannot have a passenger car registered in your name within the city, and if someone else in your household owns a car, it might affect your application. For documentation, you’ll need to prepare your ID card, a copy of your residence permit, your driver’s license, and an employment certificate from your workplace or a business license. The specific conditions may vary slightly by city, so checking the local traffic management department’s official website is the most reliable. Last time, I booked my appointment through their official WeChat account.

[DavidDella]

From the perspective of traffic policy, the lottery system sets these thresholds primarily to control the total number of vehicles in the city. The basic requirements are that applicants must be permanent residents of the locality, evidenced by household registration or long-term residence certificates; possess valid driving qualifications to ensure applicants have genuine driving needs; and have no locally registered vehicles under their name to prevent duplicate license plate occupation. Some regions also include conditions such as a minimum period of social security contributions or tax payment records. For example, Hangzhou requires two years of social security contributions, while Shanghai reviews individual income tax records. There are differences in the conditions for new energy and regular license plates, and corporate applicants need to provide additional documents such as organization code certificates and tax payment proofs. The entire process essentially balances the relationship between residents' needs and the city's carrying capacity.

[EliasDella]

Want to participate in the license plate lottery? Here are a few key points: First, you must be an adult with a driver's license—bring both your ID card and driver's license. Second, check your city's requirements: locals should bring their household registration, while non-locals need a residence permit. Third, you must not have purchased a car before or have transferred/scrapped any existing vehicles. Fourth, verify in advance whether you're on any restricted lists. My friend forgot to check his driver's license status last year and wasted time in line only to find it had expired three months prior. I recommend calling 122 to contact the local DMV or checking the latest requirements on the official app—and remember to avoid those scammy intermediary ads.